A place of retreat for this mother of seven (currently fighting Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer) to speak on the joys and challenges of life for a Catholic family immersed in American culture.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Never Again!

Well, maybe one more time.

Meet Montana, the newest Di Silvestri dog. She is a rescue dog, five or six years old and very sweet. She doesn't have a whole lot of manners yet, and the cats despise her, but we love her. We just couldn't help ourselves.

We were considering getting another dog sometime in the next few months, but we had all agreed that we did not want another Mastiff. Although they have sweet dispositions and are great with kids, they tend to have health problems and don't live very long. We did not want our kids to have to suffer another loss so soon.

However. Sometimes things you are not looking for find you. Montana was taken from her abusive owners by some women who train dogs for movie roles. One of these women is a friend of the mom of one of Julia's friends. When she heard about this dog needing a loving home, she remembered we had recently lost a Mastiff and were one of the few families she knew that was well-set up to receive a rescue dog like Montana. Someone is almost always home, there are lots of people to pay attention to her, and we already understand the character of these large but gentle beasts. So, they brought her over to meet us.

One minute was all it took.

I was the most resistant of all to the idea of another Mastiff. However, when this scarred, broken and skinny dog came up to me, shaking like a leaf, she buried her head in my lap and found her way right into my heart. She is my dog, more than anyone else's, and follows me everywhere I go. She is not allowed upstairs because she has an unhealthy interest in the cats, so I have moved most of my desk operations downstairs to spend more time with her. She wants to be a lap dog and is absolutely starved for affection. When I stop rubbing her head, she pushes back into my hand and tries to get between me and anything else I am paying attention to that doesn't include her.

This poor dog was so mistreated. She was chained to a fence most of her life and had terrible scarring around her neck from trying to pull away. When the trainers took her from her owners she had a foul smelling infection and a broken rib. She is fairly healthy now and prances around on her leash, but still has a lot of weight to gain (and doesn't eat much yet, which concerns me a bit) and plenty of manners to learn. I am finding it is difficult to teach an old dog new tricks, though it is nearly impossible to get mad at her since no one ever taught her any better. She is completely house broken, thank goodness, and doesn't bark much. She is definitely a keeper.

We won't have her for long, given her age, but she is an unexpected blessing for us right now. You know what they say..."If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." Montana was not in our plans, but here she is! And we are glad.